This invention relates to an electrical assembly which must operate within a defined temperature range and, more particularly, to structure for providing heat for such an assembly.
An electrical assembly utilized as a base station for a cellular telephone system is typically mounted outdoors, where it is exposed to the environment. Such an assembly includes heat generating components and is mounted within an enclosure, and therefore some means for dissipating the heat generated by the components must be provided. It is known to provide a heat sink including heat conducting fins on the exterior of the enclosure for dissipating heat generated within the enclosure. These fins are typically planar and parallel to define vertical channels between adjacent pairs of the fins. However, when the outdoor temperature is very low, particularly when the electronic components have not been turned on for an extended period of time, the components are below the minimum temperature at which they function properly. It is also known to provide a heater within the enclosure to maintain a proper operating environment for the internal electronic components, even when the outdoor temperature is very low. However, such a heater takes up valuable space within the enclosure, which could otherwise be used for electronic components. It would therefore be desirable to provide structure for heating an electrical assembly when required, which structure does not interfere with the allocation of space for electronic components.